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Photos by Erin Nelson.
Hewitt-Trussville’s Hudson Boren (1) takes off for home plate in an area game against Vestavia Hills at Sammy Dunn Field on April 13.
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Photos by Erin Nelson.
Hewitt-Trussville’s Riley Quick (12) pitches a ball in center field, right, in an area game against Vestavia Hills.
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Photos by Erin Nelson.
Trey Burrell (26) catches a fly ball in center field in an area game against Vestavia Hills.
It’s not flashy, but it sure has been effective so far.
The Hewitt-Trussville High School baseball team sped past the 20-win mark in the season before the outset of April and held the No. 1 ranking in Class 7A through the start of Area 6 play.
It has been more than a dominant pitching staff leading the way for the Huskies. It has been more than timely hitting. It has been more than sound defense.
“For the most part, all phases have been pretty good,” Hewitt-Trussville head coach Jeff Mauldin said.
Out of the season’s first 22 games, the Huskies pitching staff had hurled 21 quality starts. Defensively, the team is making all the routine plays and not giving opponents any additional chances. Offensively, the lineup has depth, with all nine doing their jobs on a regular basis.
“We’ve got people that can hit for power, people with speed and pitchers that can shove [pitch really well],” said outfielder Trey Burrell.
To some people, that may seem boring, but the Huskies are fully enjoying and embracing the team’s matter-of-fact style of play. Burrell noted the team’s bond as one of its strengths.
“One big thing we’ve noticed is our guys are really pulling for each other,” Mauldin said. “The team chemistry is good, and you can tell guys are pulling for each other. To hear the terminology and communication with each other in the dugout is really encouraging.”
Mauldin doesn’t see an “alpha dog” with the Huskies, but a bunch of players all pulling their weight to put the team in the best position to win.
Skylar Jones is one of the headliners of a deep pitching staff. Jones, Riley Quick, Baker Green and Logan Phillips have all made critical starts so far this season and have performed well in their opportunities. Even a player like Carson Treglown has excelled in a relief role.
“It’s sweet because we have confidence in everyone,” Jones said. “It doesn’t matter who’s on the mound, we know we can win.”
The offensive contributions have been spread out in much the same way. Contributions like the ones the Huskies have gotten recently from Matt Miller have been huge. Miller got hot and put together a string of impressive showings during spring break, when Hewitt was playing in the Gulf Coast Classic. Hudson Boren’s bat has begun to heat up as well. Jackson Holland has perhaps been the Huskies’ most consistent hitter, as Mauldin said he knows he will come up with a key hit or two every night.
“We don’t have one person that stands out above everybody else,” Mauldin said. “We don’t have to depend on one guy to carry us. We’re well-rounded to where one through more than nine can produce. Maybe we’re just pushing the right buttons right now, when we insert guys in the lineup.”
As Area 6 play heats up, Hewitt-Trussville will be competing with Vestavia Hills, Spain Park and Gadsden City for two playoff spots. Mauldin knows it won’t be easy, but he feels good about where his team stands heading into the final stretch of the regular season.
“We’ve played good most of the year, we just want to play good the next three weeks,” he said.
